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Author
Topic: Cararact Surgery (Read 13811 times)

My partner Kurt is having cataract surgery later this month. (At 54 years old.) He does not see very well now and is looking forward to being able to see without glasses. I hope that will be the case. Anyone had this proceedure done?

I haven't had the surgery; but my aunt, uncle, grandmother, 3 family friends, my mom and her husband all have - and they all see much better now. Some of them have even gotten rid of the glasses that they were wearing; while others have changed their prescriptions to less or lost bifocals, etc.

Since I've been livng at my Mom's, she and her husband have had theirs done (just a few months ago in fact). They had one eye done at a time. That day they came home and rested. They had a patch on their eye for a day or two. They weren't allowed to bend over far or lift heavy objects; and had to put drops in their eyes (frequently) for a bunch of days. Neither had hardly any pain whatsoever; it was just irritating to have to deal with the patch, the drops and the restrictions. Probably within a week, their lives were back to normal - except they could SEE!.

Best wishes to Kurt for getting some good eyesight back.

oh, BTW, while it was cataract surgery somewhere around the house I have the video of the laser eye surgery Jim had done. It's creepy good fun watching them slice his cornea, flip it back and zap the laser into his eye. It took 15 mins to do both eyes. As I drove us home, I got kinda fed up with him saying, "I can read that sign! And I can read that sign!" ad nauseam. LOL I never realized until then how blind he must have been. LOL

Yes, you really have to follow those post-surgery instructions. It was a long time ago in the early 90's but my grandmother, now deceased, didn't fully follow whatever instructions they were (or so we suspected... of course she wouldn't admit it) and it was a less than good experience, though for the life of me I can't recall exactly what happened. I think maybe her feet and ankles swelled up due to some water retention issue but I'm really fuzzy.

I had cataract surgery in 2002 for a congenital cataract. the surgery was pretty easy except I woke up in the middle of it feeling them tugging at my eye. they found fetal structures (arteries) in my eye that had not been re-absorbed. so the 15 minute surgery ended up being 3 hours long.

it really didn't do anything to improve my eye sight and I'm still legally blind in that eye.

What you might notice when he's done his surgery is that he has a twinkle in his eye due to the artificial lens.

Interesting development:Seems there is a convention of Optomologists in town that week and (since Kurt has really strange eyes) they have offered to pay all expenses if he will be willing to be a demonstration surgery....get filmed etc poked and prodded.He agreed.Conversation this AM: Me: Hon the shower stall needs scrubbing out. Will you to do it? (Since I scrubbed the bathroom floor yesterday.)Kurt: You know I cant see to do it. ( meaning he cant see the dirt.)

Note: This is removal and replacement of the lens. Not just a laser proceedure.

Interesting development:Seems there is a convention of Optomologists in town that week and (since Kurt has really strange eyes) they have offered to pay all expenses if he will be willing to be a demonstration surgery....get filmed etc poked and prodded.He agreed....Note: This is removal and replacement of the lens. Not just a laser proceedure.

Note: This is removal and replacement of the lens. Not just a laser proceedure.

Hello Joel,

Yes they can't laser that. He will have brand new lenses put in when they dissolve the old ones, and remove it. Ed said some kind of probe is placed in there to dissolve the old lens.

I was just asking Ed about. This is the kind of work he was involved in before he retired.

Ed also said that after this probe is inserted to dissolve and remove the old lens, The new lens is placed in. He also said that it's done much differently today, than it was years ago.

The incision is so small, that it will heal quite quickly as compared to years ago. Years ago, they had to make larger incisions which required suchures, and a longer healing time. No sutures are required.

LOL... I should just have Ed type this info for you, he can explain it better.

Not to worry. It's not a big deal. I've had both eyes done, separately, in 2001 and 2008, by two different eye surgeons and in two different hospitals.

The worst aspects:

*They don't anesthetize you so you're completely unconscious---just a "twilight" sort of thing, so you will be aware, possibly, while they destroy the old lens and insert the new one, and you can hear them. They do tape the eye in question so it remains open. There is absolutely no pain during this. There are no pain receptors in the eyeball where this is done.

*The large bandage that covers the eye after the procedure for a few days, and after it's removed, you do have to administer Rx eye drops fairly regularly.

Good luck.

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"No one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences."--Albert Camus, "The Plague"

"Mankind can never be free until the last brick in the last church falls on the head of the last priest."--Voltaire

Interesting development:Seems there is a convention of Optomologists in town that week and (since Kurt has really strange eyes) they have offered to pay all expenses if he will be willing to be a demonstration surgery....get filmed etc poked and prodded.He agreed.Conversation this AM: Me: Hon the shower stall needs scrubbing out. Will you to do it? (Since I scrubbed the bathroom floor yesterday.)Kurt: You know I cant see to do it. ( meaning he cant see the dirt.)

Note: This is removal and replacement of the lens. Not just a laser proceedure.

I believe him....one of the things Mom did was start cleaning her house as she remarked..

"Where did all this dirt come from?"

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"I may not be exactly where I want to be, but I sure as Hell am not where I was" Wynnona Judd

Diagnosed/HIV1993AZTNorvir1994-2001Crixivan/Epivir/ZeritNo Meds for 7 Years

I had eye surgery in 2004 or 2005, a 'partial vitrectomy' on my rt. eye, where they remove some of the 'gel' that is inside the eyeball (I had a tremendous floater that was obstructing my field of vision and making me crazy) They told me that this surgery would probably cause a cataract; it did, and I had it removed in 2007. There was really not much to it. I had a 'distance' lens implanted, and can see to drive pretty well without any glasses; my left eye has a cataract forming, but not quite time to remove it yet; will have it done as soon as I can! I think I'll have an 'up close' lens implanted in my left, so it'll be like monovision contacts...one sees up close, one sees at a distance.

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"Remember my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." - The Wizard of Oz

I think I'll have an 'up close' lens implanted in my left, so it'll be like monovision contacts...one sees up close, one sees at a distance.

Hi Alan,

Have you ever tried those monovision contacts? I tried those contact lenses ,( probably about 10 years ago,) , and had a heck of a time trying to adjust to them, I went back to my progressive pair of glasses.

Congrats on the good prognosis . I sure wish a convention of eye docs would do that surgery for me for free , what luck .

I wanted to have the laser surgery but I'm not a candidate for it so my only other option was the one where they put a lens in and I couldn't afford that . I'm typing this with my contacts in and glasses on top to see up close , would love to see again without all the gear LOL .

jg:Sounds like you and Kurt have the same problem.But in Kutrts case he now has 20/20 vision in the eye that was operated on yesterday. Its truly amazing. We went back today (Sunday) to see the Dr. and Kurt was told that he has nearly 20/20 in that eye. He now has to schedule the other one.

jg:Sounds like you and Kurt have the same problem.But in Kutrts case he now has 20/20 vision in the eye that was operated on yesterday.

I bet he is happy about that ! . I consulted with 3 different lasik company's and they all told me my cornea's were too steep for the surgery and also made a big deal about me being poz . The last doctor whom I was referred to begged me not to continue looking for surgery because I would eventually find someone to do it justfor the money and ruin my eyes . Its been awhile but I think he said the surgery to insert lenses was around $ 8.000.00 so I just gave up the dream of perfect vision without gear at that point .

in Kutrts case he now has 20/20 vision in the eye that was operated on yesterday. Its truly amazing. We went back today (Sunday) to see the Dr. and Kurt was told that he has nearly 20/20 in that eye. He now has to schedule the other one.

jgKurt has Medicare and Blue Cross 65...because he is on disability. His co pay was not very steep. I dont remember if HIV was an issue here but I dont think so. We have Wills Eye Hospital here in Philadelphia, its one of the best.If you want...I'll IM you our phone #and you can talk to him.

jgKurt has Medicare and Blue Cross 65...because he is on disability. His co pay was not very steep. I dont remember if HIV was an issue here but I dont think so. We have Wills Eye Hospital here in Philadelphia, its one of the best.If you want...I'll IM you our phone #and you can talk to him.

Joel

Would HIV be an because of the disease and low immunity or from stigma?

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"I may not be exactly where I want to be, but I sure as Hell am not where I was" Wynnona Judd

Diagnosed/HIV1993AZTNorvir1994-2001Crixivan/Epivir/ZeritNo Meds for 7 Years

RonAs I understand it.....in cataract surgery there are no blood vessels involved. Now.....CMV Retinitis is an opportunistic infection but does not involve the lens in the eye (where cataracts form). CMV is in the retina in the back of the eye,.So....HIV as a disease should not enter into the decision to have cataract surgery . Stigma is the main thing I guess. Its certainly more problematical going to the dentist, because there is a lot of blood involved.

jgKurt has Medicare and Blue Cross 65...because he is on disability. His co pay was not very steep. I dont remember if HIV was an issue here but I dont think so. We have Wills Eye Hospital here in Philadelphia, its one of the best.If you want...I'll IM you our phone #and you can talk to him.

Joel

I do appreciate the offer but I wouldn't qualify even with my medicare coverage because me wanting surgery was elective and not medically necessary like in Kurt's case .